Heimdal (album)

The album is titled after a character in Norse mythology, whom the band calls "fascinating" and who has appeared in their lyrics several times throughout their career, starting as early as their second demo tape, Yggdrasill, in 1992. The album contains six new songs, plus "Caravans to the Outer Worlds" which had previously appeared on an EP of the same title in 2021. The band structured that stopgap EP as a bridge between their previous full-length album Utgard (2020) and Heimdal, and determined that the song "Caravans to the Outer Worlds" fit into the new album both lyrically and musically. ==Critical reception==

Upon its release, Heimdal received positive reviews from heavy metal-oriented publications. Kerrang! called the album "stunning" and described it as "a foundation of black metal at its most vast and Pink Floyd at their most spacious." Distorted Sound noted the album's mix of black metal and progressive rock, and suggested that it might be the best of the band's career. ''Rock n' Load, also suggested that Heimdal'' might be one of Enslaved's best albums, and that it was more engaging than their last several studio albums. MetalSucks called the album "Awe-inspiring, spellbinding, and imaginative," and concluded that "Heimdal reflects total authenticity combined with artistic brilliance." According to Ghost Cult, Heimdal is "a grand vision that Enslaved have executed to perfection, on an album that is up there with their best." A reviewer for No Clean Singing found some of the songwriting to be predictable, but concluded that the album "finds Enslaved once more turning their gaze towards new horizons." ==Track listing==

;Enslaved • Grutle Kjellson – vocals, bass guitar, synthesizer • Ivar Bjørnson – electric guitars, acoustic guitars, synthesizers, keyboards, sequencer, FX • Arve Isdal – electric guitars • Håkon Vinje – keyboards, piano, vocals • Iver Sandøy – drums, percussion, keyboards, FX, vocals ;Additional personnel • Eilif Gundersen – gjallarhorn (track 1) • Jens Bogren – additional vocals (track 1) ;Production • Ivar Bjørnson, Iver Sandøy – engineering, recording, production • Arve Isdal – engineering, recording • Grutle Kjellson – production • Jens Bogren – mixing • Tony Lindgren – mastering ==Charts==